National cinema chain set to take over closing Cineworld in city centre

An agreement has already been reached with a national chain to take over the cinema at The Cornerhouse in Nottingham after Cineworld announced it would be closing within weeks. Nottinghamshire Live understands an announcement is due imminently from the national cinema operator.

Vue and ODEON are among the major national cinema operators who do not currently have a branch in Nottingham, though there has been no confirmation yet on the company that will take over from Cineworld. News that a deal has already been struck will come as a relief less than 24 hours after Cineworld confirmed that it will shut on February 2.

News of a deal having already been reached was confirmed by Frankie Labbate, who is a director of the Nottingham-based Box Property alongside Ben Tebbutt. The company acts as the letting agent for The Cornerhouse and Mr Labbate told Nottinghamshire Live: "It's unfortunate that Cineworld have closed following the restructure.

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"However, terms have been agreed with a new national cinema operator. The cinema will close temporarily to undergo a substantial refurbishment that will deliver a state-of-the-art cinema for Nottingham city centre."

Cineworld said its closure in Nottingham was part of a nationwide restructuring of its operations and a disagreement with its landlord. In a statement late on Monday (January 13), the cinema chain said: "After years of providing movie lovers with a place to feel more, we regret to inform you that, following the landlord's decision to reject our proposals, we will be closing 2nd February 2025.

"Thank you to all of you movie-loving customers for choosing us over the years. We hope to see you again soon in one of our cinemas."

The news disappointed Nottingham cinema-goers passing by The Cornerhouse on Tuesday, with Marsha Tayler from Bramcote saying she was "devastated". The 48-year-old teacher said: "I'm absolutely devastated, I really am.

"I come every single week and now the nearest one [Cineworld] is in Sheffield. I don't drive, so it's impossible for us to go up there."

Also disappointed at Cineworld's announcement was 25-year-old Nottingham Trent University student Maurico Osornio, who said: "Me and my friends used to go to the cinema once a week. Independent cinemas have more restrictions on what they can show, less screens and less times, whereas with Cineworld being such a big company, you had a lot more options."

Yet the comments from Box Property suggest it will not be long before a major national cinema chain is back in The Cornerhouse, though there are no details at this stage on how long the promised refurbishment will take. The Cornerhouse was built on the site of the former Nottingham Evening Post building on Forman Street at a cost of £50 million and opened in 2001.

Without a new operator taking over from Cineworld, The Cornerhouse would have been left with a completely vacant top floor and most of its first floor being empty. Other businesses currently based at the site include The Lost City Adventure Golf.